DUNBARTON RECREATION COMMISSION – 2003

We started off the year with an enjoyable bus trip to the Boston Flower Show at the Bayside Expo in March. For any of you who missed it, please take note – we are going again this March!

In April, the Annual Easter Egg Hunt was attended by a large number of children. We send our thanks to the Easter Bunny who stopped by to visit with them. While waiting for the hunt to begin, the children had the opportunity to color some of the dozens of hard-boiled eggs. This was a new activity this year and the kids made some beautiful eggs to take home with them.

Improvements to the softball field continue to be made under the direction of Jim Starr. This year safety edging was added to the fence, the bullpen was completed and the field was reseeded and fertilized. These improvements are funded by the town and by the donations of many local businesses. The softball players and their families hold a Field Clean-Up Day each year to rake the field, level the infield and paint the dugouts and bleachers.

This summer we had the gym floor lightly sanded and recoated. This fall we replaced the basketball backboards with regulation backboards and break-away rims. At the same time we had the broken vertical adjustment mechanism replaced. This allows the basketball clinic to set an appropriate height for the youngsters.

In October, we held the Annual Halloween Party in the same format we developed last year due to the overwhelming positive feedback. Once again it was extremely well attended and a fun night for all. This year we added a craft table at which the children could make Halloween bookmarks. Thanks to Darcey Schroeder for guiding the children in this activity. Thanks, too, to the many high school students who helped run the games. The Haunted House created a spooky atmosphere for the evening thanks to the efforts of Girl Scout Troop #508 under the direction of Katie McDonald and Deb Urbanik.

On Halloween night we were on the Town Common serving refreshments and candy. Once again, in conjunction with the Dunbarton Police Department, we handed out glow necklaces to the children for their safety.

Thanks to all who participated in our First Annual Scarecrow Contest. It added Halloween spirit to the Town Common and was enjoyed by all who drove by. We will be sponsoring the contest again this year and look forward to increased participation.

Thanks to Stan and Nancy Sowle for the donation of the Christmas tree for the Town Common. We had hoped to plant a permanent tree in 2003 but will hold off until the Town Common plans are finalized. The weather this year for the Annual Tree Lighting on Thanksgiving weekend was ideal. Everyone enjoyed a bonfire, refreshments and Christmas carols. A special thanks to Santa for visiting with the children!

The bus was packed for the annual trip to Boston in Dec. It’s a relaxing way to get to Boston for holiday shopping and sightseeing! Plan to join us in 2004!

The 2003-2004 Dunbarton Recreational Basketball Program is well underway. The home game schedule can be accessed through the Dunbarton website. We would like to thank all the volunteers who make this program successful.

We would like to thank everyone for supporting our programs and for the constructive feedback. We are always looking for new ideas and welcome any that you may have.

Respectfully submitted,

Jacques Belanger Terri Francoeur Kim Vaillancourt

Annie Carney Jean Leo

Sue Nichols Karen Lessard